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Hailing from Lancaster PA, Fallen Asunder is a hard rock/heavy metal group started by Ryan Batturs (vocals/guitar) and Josh Weaver (guitar), the duo attempting to present a blend of all their influences through their own original compositions. The band’s self-titled debut full-length was independently released on November 1st 2016, unveiling as many as 12 songs decorated with melody and heaviness in equal measure. Continue reading →

Santa Ana, California prog/alt metal quartet Saint Blasphemer is a brand new entity, having formed in early 2016, but have played shows on a regular basis and self-released their five-song debut EP ‘Simon Templar’ on October 15th 2016. In a plethora of metal bands vying for attention in Southern California, Saint Blasphemer attempt to do so with a fresh spin on music that has inspired and influenced them. Continue reading →

Even though metal has constantly evolved and kept getting split into countless sub-genres through the past four decades or so, old-school metal never died, as classic albums by its originators stood the test of time and continue to stay relevant. Most of its fans have not only loved and supported the music but also dedicate themselves to the lifestyle associated with it, including the denim-and-leather clad look. A percentage of these fans comprises young musicians taking inspiration from the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Cliff Burton era Metallica, Saxon, Diamond Head and many others, to form their own bands and carry the genre into and through the 21st century. Hailing from Bangalore, India, longstanding group Kryptos is as religiously old-school metal as anyone on the planet, and their dedication is truly second to none. These veterans of Indian metal started out in 1998, and after years of unwavering commitment towards keeping the band going against all odds, they got signed to AFM to break through in the international scene with their third full-length effort ‘The Coils of Apollyon’ in 2012. They have toured Europe on a regular basis since then, and in 2016, released their fourth album ‘Burn Up The Night’ in an attempt to further establish themselves as one of the worthiest flag-bearers of the music they live and die for. Continue reading →

The birth of rock n’ roll can be dated back to the days of Elvis in the 1950s, and through the past nearly seven decades, from the early years of bands such as Beatles, The Doors, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in the ’60s, Black Sabbath in the ’70s and Iron Maiden in the ’80s to the modern-day era of the 21st century, perhaps the most notable difference in hard rock and heavy metal music has been in sheer output, and the rate at which bands release albums. Whilst most of the aforementioned bands were releasing one, sometimes two albums per year in their heyday, no band, young or old, can claim to come anywhere near matching that kind of prolific yet high-quality creativity nowadays, including the ones cited above that are still carrying on but with much slower rate of output. With their first four albums taking all of five years and the next five albums spanning twenty years, Metallica would certainly be the most obvious example of this. Their 2008 release ‘Death Magnetic’ was five years in the making (after ‘St. Anger’, 2003), and the wait for its follow-up has been exruciatingly long for those that still hoped this band would make new music. More than eight years later, the moment has finally arrived, as Metallica unveils their tenth LP ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ worldwide on November 18th 2016, under their own label imprint Blackened Recordings. From a band that is now essentially a nostalgia act, expectations from their newest effort were at an all-time low, and fans and critics alike were inclined to be easily pleased with whatever was to be on offer. Continue reading →

Rahm is the eponymous creation of unsigned independent Israeli prog rock composer and multi-instrumentalist Rahm, and his five-song debut EP ‘Between The Lines’ was self-released on November 12th 2016, presenting these tunes that exhibit prog and psych rock influences as well as his own musicality. Continue reading →

With the release of their 2015 debut full-length album ‘As Darkness Falls’, Florida quartet Winter Calling staked their claim in the burgeoning progressive rock/metal world, and quickly following up to the first set of tunes, they unveiled their sophomore effort in August 2016, a concept album called ‘Faces’ that attempts to present the musicality of this group in a storytelling format. Countless bands have released concept albums over the years, many succeeding to stamp theirs as timeless classics, others failing to convey their point across in a concise manner. It remained to be seen where this audacious venture from this new band would end up. Continue reading →